Diet Detective's guide to barbecue and burgers

It’s officially burger season. However, burgers can be high in calories if you’re not careful.

A traditional burger weighing 6 ounces before cooking and made with 80 percent lean ground beef has more than 435 calories. To go lighter you can use extra-lean ground beef (96 percent lean), which has 195 calories for 6 ounces, or 85 percent lean ground beef, which has 360 calories. Also, keep in mind that your home-barbecued burgers are usually much bigger than 6 ounces plus many people typically eat more than one.

So why doesn’t everyone just go with the lowest-calorie meat? Leaner meats tend to dry out during cooking and have less flavor. And burgers don’t stop at the meat. Add the bun and all the toppings (mayo, cheese, bacon, ketchup, etc.), and they can top 800 calories. Here are a few healthy options.

Healthy Burger Tips

-Use less meat and mix it with finely chopped mushrooms, peppers and onions. You’ll have the same size burger, but it will be lower in calories and you’ll also be getting the health benefits of all those vegetables.

-Add herbs and spices. To make leaner cuts of meat tastier, try a blend of fresh herbs (such as thyme, marjoram, chives and parsley) or dry ground spices (black pepper, smoked paprika, cumin and cayenne), says John Greeley, executive chef at the famed 21 Club in New York City.

-Instead of using oil, spray the burger itself with cooking spray (NEVER spray on an open flame, which is very dangerous) so it doesn’t stick to the grill or pan.

-Style matters. According to Paul Gayler, executive chef at The Lanesborough Hotel London:

“Meat should be coarsely ground. If it’s too finely ground, the burger is more likely to fall apart, and the texture will be less satisfying.” Also, keep the meat loose. Burgers will be less juicy if you over-pack the patties. Good burgers should be about an inch thick. Once shaped, chill them again to firm up the meat before cooking.”

-Burgers are best cooked over medium-high heat.

-Don’t press down on the burger with the spatula while cooking (or at all). It drains the juice and dries out the burger.

- When it comes to buying your burger meat, try to go with organic, grass-fed beef. It matters for quality and health. To see more about what those beef labels mean, go to eatwild.com or Greenchoices.com (http://www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels/reportProductArea.cfm?productArea=Beef&mode=view ).

Chicken, Turkey, Vegetable and Other Burgers

Choosing poultry or vegetables for your burgers could reduce the calories, saturated fat (linked to heart disease) and L-Carnitine (also linked to heart disease ). But be wary - you still have to make smart choices.

-Turkey and chicken burgers: 6 ounces of ground turkey breast have about 180 calories. But when your turkey burger contains other, fattier parts of the bird, a 6-ounce burger can run as high as 300 calories. The same goes for chicken burgers; ground chicken breast is the best bet.

Recently Consumer Reports has found that 90 percent of the ground turkey samples they tested contained one or more of five bacteria. Read more here:

-Salmon burgers: These are pretty low in both calories and fat (6.4 ounces have 220 calories), plus you get the heart-healthy benefits of omega-3s.

-Vegetable burgers: They’re lower in calories and fat than any other choice. For veggie burgers (which are not easy to make yourself because they tend to fall apart) Chef Greeley recommends using ground smoked tofu, blending it with ground cooked mushrooms, tahini and hummus, and binding it with a little wheat flour. “Form into balls and coat with a light dusting of the wheat

flour, then form into patties. Flavors such as minced onion, garlic, black pepper, cumin, and tomato powder are fantastic,” he adds. “Almost any soft fresh herb will work, including basil, oregano, chervil, tarragon and chive. Brush the patties with olive oil and cook under a broiler, or

lightly grill just enough to sear the outside and get the inside hot.”

The Bun

Buns can add 110 to 180 calories. A 1.5-ounce white hamburger bun has about 110 calories, but kaiser rolls are normally higher at 180 calories. For more fiber, try to get 100 percent whole-grain buns, but just because the package says wheat doesn’t mean it’s 100 percent whole grain. Make sure “whole grains” is the first ingredient.

Burger Extras

Watch out for the obvious: fries, potato chips (150 calories per handful), coleslaw (more than 250 calories per cup), pasta salad (400 to 500 calories per cup), etc. All these “sides” are typically very high in calories and can turn your barbecue into a diet disaster. Instead of chips or fries, make your own grilled potatoes. (see: www.dietdetective.com/calorie-bargains/more-

calorie-bargains). Or try this recipe from EatingWell.com (http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grilled_potato_packets.html).

Toppings and Condiments

Instead of cheese (70 to 120 calories per deli slice, plus cheese is high in saturated fat), add lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles or even celery to your burgers. Or try “lite” or reduced-fat cheese. Fat-free single-serving slices have about 30 calories each. Also, look for cheeses that are not reduced fat but are thinly sliced (they’re typically less than an ounce with only about 40 to 60 calories per slice).

For great flavor and virtually no extra calories, top your burger with tomatoes marinated in red wine vinegar, fresh basil, a drop of olive oil, salt and cracked black pepper. And add some pickled red onions or pickled peppers, says Greeley.

Avoid mayo (100 calories per tablespoon) and stick to ketchup, mustard or even steak sauce. At 30 calories per tablespoon, barbecue sauce has twice as many calories as ketchup or steak sauce (15 calories). Those extra calories can add up fast: If you dump 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce on your burger and fries, well, you’ve just eaten 240 extra calories.

Food Safety

-Prevent cross-contamination that is, don’t let raw meat, fish or poultry touch foods that won’t be cooked, such as lettuce. Never use the same knife or cutting board without washing it first.

-Cook foods to the proper internal temperature (160 F for ground meats and